By Your Side
by DesireeU
Summary: "All he knew was that that girl, that girl who always tried to cheer him up, to make him feel better, to show him some hope towards the future -for how much annoying could she be-, was lying there in his arms, shattered. So it was his turn now. He would silently pick up the pieces. He would stay by her side." First fanfic ever! CC is much appreciated :3


_Behold! This is my first (and not very good) attempt at an English fanfiction!_

_The only fanfiction I ever done was 5 years, a Yugioh! GX one, and it was a comedy in Italian._

_Anything else I attempted writing after that didn't get past the first page, so I'm definetely not used to write fanfics, I'm so very excited to share for the first time one, ahah!_

_...that means, constructive criticism is more than welcome, but please be gentle x/D_

_(I already know my biggest flaws, other than english itself, is staying IC, plus I have no clue how to use old english typical of the VP series /sobs)_

_**Disclaimer: **__I sadly don't own Valkyrie Profile nor its characters; if I did there would be so much more romance and silly scenes...basically Seraphic Gate would be canon stuff ah!_

* * *

Nervously playing with her hair, Cheripha quietly entered the room rented in the tavern for the night. It was the first time the group leaded by Wylfred decided to rest in a public place, and even though she wouldn't admit it the young girl was still afraid someone would recognize her and she would have been taken back to the assassin's guild by force.

More because of habit than of need, she carefully studied her surroundings before finally letting her exhausted body free to fall on the bed.

After the first few moments of surrender to the tiredness, her thoughts started flowing now that she was alone. It was already a couple months she was travelling with Wyl, despite him not talking much, being rather cold and not even wanting to tell her _why _they were travelling; her instinct would have normally told her to just leave him be and go travelling by her own, exploring to her heart's desire and maybe finally meeting her charming prince...but there was something deep within her, that compelled her to stay at that young man's side.

There was something about him that gave off a...dark aura, but she felt so inexplicably attracted by him, just like a moth drawn to a flame. Yes, Wyl wasn't much to give affection, but they had their moments together, funny, touching, sweet...little but deep moments burned into her memory, something that other people would dismiss but that she felt very special. It was in those moments that she felt heart-to-heart with Wyl.

"That's good," she silently told to herself "that'd mean we're friends..." at that thought, a small smile unconsciounsly appeared on her lips, and the girl let out a giggle.

The poor guy really seemed like he needed friends. He hinted at his tragic past in one of their moments, and even if he was pretty vague about it she could see the pain and sadness in his eyes. Despite the facade, Cheripha was firmly convinced that Wyl was a good person, just turned bitter by what life threw at him. And she wanted to do her best to ease his pain, even if just a little. And with a smile on her face and sweetly naive thoughts in her mind, she slowly drifted off in her own dreamland.

* * *

She felt like screaming, but her assassin's instictint told her not to. Instead, she quietly and slowly looked around her, only to be welcomed by darkness.

Cheripha slowly rose in a sitting position. After studying the room another time, she let out a sigh: another nightmare. It wasn't uncommon of her to have reoccuring nightmares; being an assassin was something that left a deep scar within her soul, and it just wouldn't mend so easily. This time though, it was more vivid than usual. It was probably because she was worried of being in a public place. All alone.

She shuddered at the realization of that, and went out to the balcony to try to ease her mind. Her gaze went to the balcony adiacent to hers...maybe, just maybe, he was still awake...but would he comfort her? The girl clenched her small hands on her clothes, feeling the urge to just leap the distance between them and sleep at his side like they used to. She needed it. She wanted to know someone was there beside her.

With an agile jump, she just climbed onto the balcony next to her and silently spied into the room, her eyes searching for his owner. There he was, sitting on his bed, crouched while holding something...something small...

"...Wyl?"

The young man quickly got a hold of his sword and instictively launched himself at the stranger, holding back upon seeing it was just his bubbly teammate.

"What the...Cheripha? What are you doing here, in my room, at this hour of the night? I could...I could've killed you!" he panted stepping back, taken by suprise.

"Tehee, killed me? Not with such unbalanced, rushed movements versus my ready reflexes and agility! And anyways...now we'd be finally even, isn't it?" she giggled at him with a wink. How they met and how Cheripha had almost killed him was one of those things they often used to jokingly argue about.

"But alas, you can't sleep, as well? I was coming here because I couldn't sleep, so..." her voice faded out with hints of insecureness and embarassment.

She knew Wylfred wasn't one to fall for sentimentalisms or to show affection, and she didn't want to admit she was afraid to sleep without him...he'd probably just shrug it off and send her back to her room...

Wyl interrupted her thoughts: "...why don't you just go to your father's room then? Why did you come to me?" there was exhasperation and annoyance in his voice, but also a hint of curiosity.

"O-oh! Father was already asleep and he gets so easily worried about me, he needs to rest, I don't want to unnecessarily bother him anymore...!" she quickly lied, her words rushing out and her cheeks turning red. The truth was that she didn't even think about her father. She knew she had to be near Wyl, period.

"So...you thought it'd be okay to bother me instead?"

_Touché._ Cheripha was expecting this kind of response afterall.

"Well, I saw you were awake already...and it's usually you the one to lend me a shoulder where to rest, in the woods at night..." the young archer left the rest of the sentence trailing off, waiting for his reaction, and looked directly at his sky blue eyes. His _beautiful _ blue eyes.

Wylfred stared back, expressionless as usual, then sighed in defeat.

"You're such a nuisance...get into the bed before I change idea..."

Cheripha beamed in happiness: "Thank you, Wyl! You really are the best!" and she quickly gave him one of her hugs before jumping on the bed. Wyl just let out another, louder sigh, wondering how much he would regret this, and looked for an extra blanket in the closet for him to sleep on the floor.

"Aw? How come are you sleeping on the floor?" quickly asked the girl, noticing his movements. Wyl raised an eyebrow: "You won't just pretend we'd sleep in the _same bed_, would you?"

"But Wyl," she slipped out of the bed, nuzzling her face against the boy's right shoulder: "can't you hear your shoulder telling you it needs my cheek to really rest? I could have just stayed in my room alone if that's it!"

The silver haired boy just looked at her like she was crazy.

Puppy eyes.

He just raised an eyebrow and resumed organizing his new bed.

Pout.

He kept ignoring her.

Tickle war.

And with that he was so caught by surprise that he just fell to the floor, trying to realize inbetween the laughs what the heck was Cheripha doing, the girl laughing at his laughs. It was one of their moments.

The two struggled for a while, keeping on that childish war, until Cheripha pushed Wyl on the bed, towering him with a mocking smile. "Pffft, Wyl, you do really suck at tickle wars!" she let out one of her sweet, innocent laughs: "And as the winner, I decrete that you shall sleep here in this very bed and keep me company!"

Wylfred was going to reply, of how much wrong did that sound, but she leaned onto him, softly nuzzling her head to his, her eyes closed. "You know," she whispered, her gentle voice caressing his ear: "I really like when the two of us are like this. Close together."

She waited, expecting his reaction, but all he could was blushing slightly, so she just continued: "I really want to be close with you, Wyl. I've seen past your cold facade and your veil of pain: you're a good person, I'm sure of it. Whatever is killing you inside, I'd like to ease that." she paused again, but still no reaction. "I hate seeing you sad. I'm sad when you are sad. Call it empathy, solidariety, that I care for you, but I do. I want to be by your side in this travel, because I want to show you that life is cruel, but can be wonderful. I..._I want you to be happy. _That's my wish."

The brunette finally raised her head to meet his eyes, and shyly smiled at him, then started touching his hair, caressing them in a soothing way. Wyl for once did not complain, and closed his eyes to savour the feeling. It was hard to admit, but he was oh so longing for someone to care for him, making him feel all warm inside. Loved. It remembered him of the happy moments of the past, those moments he so desperately wanted back. But that was impossible. And it was all the Battle Maiden's fault.

At the thought of the cursed valkyrie, his hands instictively clenched into fists, and Cheripha raised her head once again, puzzled, before moving her hands to his face, caressing his cheeks, and down all the way to the neck, then the shoulders, the arms...until she arrived to his hands, softly petting them and interwining her fingers inside his grip, letting him go of the nervous stance.

"Am I bothering you?"

Her voice sounded so genuinely concerned, and so naive like a child's voice.

Wyl looked at her face, reading the worry in her big eyes.

"...No." he whispered at last, letting out a sigh. Cheripha then cupped his face with her gentle palms, looking directly into his eyes. I'm here for you. If you need to talk, remember I'm here for you.

She seemed to carefully ponder what to say next: "Wyl, there is no shame in feelings. Even if they are fear, or worry, you shouldn't be ashamed of them. You're human. Everyone feels this way, sooner or later! And keeping everything inside will only make it worse! Please, let it out..."

The silence fell between them, suddenly interrupted by the young woman's sigh a few minutes later. "Well then, ladies first I suppose..." her gaze wandered to her side, deadly set on not meeting Wyl's: "You already know my story Wyl; you know my mother was executed when I was very young, and that to keep us alive my father signed us up to Artolia's Royal Assassination Guild...and thus I never really knew what meant having a family's love. But you also know that, now that I ran away, I have many positive plans for the future, and I deem this world to be beautiful and all to be discovered! What you don't know though...is that I'm afraid." she shuddered and looked further away: "I'm so afraid I can't sleep at night! I know how things work there! I know they WILL find someone if they really want to! The thought I may wake up and find myself back there...!"

Her voice was beginning to crack; Wylfred couldn't clearly see them, but he knew her eyes were pearly, and he started feeling uneasy at the thought, unsure of what to do.

"They will either kill me or bring me back to that life! And I don't really know what's the worst option! I saw...t-too many horrors...I don't want to anymore! They already haunt my thoughts and dreams! I don't dream of my charming prince or the wonders of the world Wyl, or anything I say with a smile; I dream of dead people, and tortures, and all of their dead, accusing eyes staring at me!"

Cheripha finally let her emotion take the best of her, and buried her face in the bed's sheets, letting her tears free to fall, her voice just a tremor of sobbing.

The silver-haired boy hesitantly stroke her hair, slightly pulling her head towards his chest.

After what seemed an eternity, Cheripha's voice echoed once again in the room. Weak. Broken.

"I-I'm sorry...so m-much sorry...I-I must be s-such a bother to you...b-but could you...could you please?...h-hold m-me until I fall asleep...?"

Wyl merely nodded, and carefully pulled her into his embrace, still uneasy about the whole situation, but also unsure as to what he was feeling. Pity? Sorrow? Something else...?

He couldn't tell. But all he knew was that that girl, that girl who always tried to cheer him up, to make him feel better, to show him some hope towards the future -for how much annoying could she be-, was lying there in his arms, shattered.

So it was his turn now. He would silently pick up the pieces.

He would stay by her side.


End file.
